Description: The movie follows the rise and fall of a con man — a story that begins and ends at a seedy traveling carnival. Stanton Carlisle (Tyrone Power) joins the carnival, working with "Mademoiselle Zeena" (Joan Blondell) and her alcoholic husband, Pete (Ian Keith). They were once a top-billed act, using an ingenious code to make it appear that she had extraordinary mental powers, until her (unspecified) misdeeds drove Pete to drink and reduced them to working in a third-rate outfit. Stanton learns that many people want to buy the code from Zeena for a lot of money, but she won't sell; she is saving it as a nest egg. He tries to romance Zeena into teaching it to him, but she remains faithful to her husband. One night in Texas, Stanton accidentally gives Pete the wrong bottle; he dies from drinking wood alcohol instead of moonshine. To keep her act going, she is forced to train Stanton to be her assistant. Stanton however, prefers the company of the younger Molly (Coleen Gray). When this is found out, they are forced into a shotgun marriage by the rest of the carnies. No longer welcome, Stanton realizes this is actually a golden opportunity for him. He and his wife leave the carnival. He becomes "The Great Stanton", performing with great success in expensive nightclubs. However, he has even higher ambitions. With crooked Chicago psychologist Lilith Ritter (Helen Walker) providing him with information about her patients, Stanton passes himself off as someone who can actually communicate with the dead. It almost works. But when he tries to swindle sceptical Ezra Grindle (Taylor Holmes), it all comes crashing down when Molly is unable to force herself to continue a masquerade as Grindle's long-lost love. The couple leave town hurriedly; Stanton tells Molly to return to the carnival world, while he gradually sinks into alcoholism. Finally, the fallen carny tries to get a job at another carnival, only to suffer the ultimate degradation: the only job he can get is playing the geek in a sideshow. Unable to stand his life any further, he goes berserk, but fortunately, Molly happens to work in the same carnival. Stan calms down and regains hope when he sees her again.